Five Slowest Animals in the World

Sure, most of us probably know plenty about the fastest
animals in the world, but what about their opposites?

When asked about the slowest animal in the world, most people’s first guess it’s a turtle or snail. This isn’t a terribly wrong guess, but it also isn’t the right one.

If you are curious to find out the correct answer, continue
reading our list of five slowest animals in the world.

Snail

Despite the notion that they are slow, snails actually come up really high on this list. While they usually don’t move fast overall, some snails were able to achieve an impressive speed of 0.029 miles per hour. Not too bad for an animal that carries its home on its back.

Giant Tortoise

You know what they say; “Slow and steady wins the race.” Well, the tortoise has really taken this proverb to another level. These magnificent creatures, who can survive six months without food and water, clock at 0.18 miles per hour. Taking things slow is probably why they get to live up to 250 years.

Sloth

Well, sloths may be an unexpected entry on the list for some, but it’s actually not surprising to see them rank this high. Staying true to their name, sloths hardly move at all and are known to remain on the same spot for days. Even when they move, this turns to be painfully slow as they can reach a maximum speed of 0.15 miles per hour.

Starfish

Most members of Starfish can’t move at all, but those that can, aren’t doing it in a particularly impressive rate. The fastest member of the family is the leather star, which can move 6 inches in a minute.

Coral

Ok, we might have cheated here a bit, but technically corals are animals. They are living organisms who eat, reproduce, and play a significant part in defending shorelines from waves and storms. The only thing is that they spend their entire lives in one place. They don’t move at all, at least not willingly, so you could say that their speed is 0 miles per hour and they are deserving to be at the top of our list.